


Jack Is Free

by Amsare



Category: BioShock
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Flash Fic, Friendship, Gen, Mental Instability
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-05
Updated: 2016-05-05
Packaged: 2018-06-06 13:49:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6756685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amsare/pseuds/Amsare
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Jack has killed that man.</i>
</p><p>
  <i> Andrew Ryan is dead.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>All hail to Jack.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Jack Is Free

**Author's Note:**

> An idea I had this morning, flash fiction where Atlas is just Atlas and Jack is not Jack Ryan while Andrew Ryan is still a crazy, visionary man.

Jack has killed that man.  
   
 Andrew Ryan is dead.  
   
   
All hail to Jack.  
   
   
His arms are trembling while his hands are still clenching hard the golf bait he used as weapon.  
   
   
_I killed a man._  
   
   
This man had not been a splicer, a monster whose mind had been corrupted by EVE; Jack tries to tell himself that Andrew Ryan deserved to die for what he had done to Rapture, but it is just an ineffective way to sweeten the pill.  
   
He, Jack, is a murderer and it is now too late to change that.  
   
   
_I killed a man._  
   
   
“Atlas,” he manages to say, eyes still fixed on the dead corpse at his feet, “Atlas, it's done. I did it.”  
   
The shortwave radio cracks but stays silent and just for a moment, Jack is afraid that Atlas left him there all alone.  
   
Suddenly, a voice is calling him from the door of the office, “Boyo? I tried to come as soon as possible but those bloody splicers made it difficult,” and Jack turns his head because there is a man looking at him; he is tall, broad shoulders and he is wearing a white shirt stained of blood and a pair of dirty trousers.  
   
He has a radio in his left hand and a gun in the other, gripping it tight, knuckles whitening around it.  
   
Jack has no doubts of his identity.  
   
“Atlas?”  
   
The man smiles and put the gun behind him, walking towards Jack; he puts a hand on his shoulder and looks at him with unexpected blue eyes.  
   
Only looking at him made Jack feels safer all of a sudden and he is shaking – he cannot stop himself because he is so tired and he just wants to go away from there.  
   
“You were good, Boyo, you were good,” Atlas says a couple of time, trying to calm him down, "now we had to get out of here, okay? It’s nearly over, I swear."  
   
Jack nods but he stays where he is, frozen on the spot he killed Andrew Ryan just a couple of minutes before.  
   
“One step at time, we can make it together,” Atlas is patient and does not force Jack too much, "I'm here, don't worry."  
   
“I killed him, Atlas,” Jack snaps all of a sudden, “I killed a man, I-“  
   
He does not recognize himself as he speaks, listening to his voice as if he was not in that room.  
   
God, it’s really too much to bear for a young boy.  
   
Atlas wants to say something more but suddenly they hear some loud whistles from the corridor outside – _security bots_.  
   
"This way, Jack, quickly," Atlas drags him away from there, going toward an air conduct, "duck," he says and pushes Jack in it.  
   
The whistles are getting higher and higher, someone is screaming out there... When Atlas is inside the conduct too, closing the gate behind himself.  
   
"I know you can’t take it anymore," he says, voice echoing, "but I’m asking you to make another effort, okay? We need to get to a bathysphere."  
   
Jack's head is buzzing, body aching, but he manages to nod and starts crawling into the conduct.  
   
He's feeling like an automatic machine, moving his limbs toward his so dreamed freedom.  
“It’s nearly over, Jack.”  
   
Jack wishes it’s true.


End file.
